Follow Us:

{Runway}

Milan Fashion Week Coverage: Versace Spring 2014 Collection

Following in the footsteps of many designers this season, Donatella Versace turned to the streets for inspiration for her new collection. The brand’s DNA was still very much present – think rock ‘n’ roll attitude and a certain provocativeness – but Versace is looking towards an increasingly younger and younger clientele, as evidenced by her past few collections.

The first few looks this season were a play on denim; a sparkly denim skirt was paired with a denim jacket and followed by a denim-colored shirt. Next, she sent out a series of floral-printed and pastel-colored looks. At first glance, this gave the models a sweet and innocent air, but a closer look revealed sheer, skin-tight shorts and barely-there strips of sheer fabric crisscrossing down their torsos. Provocatively high platform sandals, adorned with metal accents, added to this naughty versus nice duality. The sweet colors and florals were also balanced out by huge chain harnesses at the center of which rested a Medusa.

In keeping with her penchant for rock ‘n’ roll, Versace redesigned the T-shirt as a luxury item, with “I am a fan” slogans and triangles of metallic mesh – invented by her brother Gianni decades ago – hanging from the sleeves and necklines. Perfect for the true Versace groupies. The same hook-and-eye fasteners that were so prominent in the Atelier Versace Fall 2013 Couture collection held skirts and trousers together and allowed the garments to be left mostly undone.

In a final nod to street culture, the models took their last steps down the runway to a blaring soundtrack of “Versace, Versace, Versace” by Drake. Donatella shared, “I wanted everything to be effortless with the attitude of the streets. This is a real woman. A Versace woman.” True to her words, there was no shortage of Versace or of attitude in this collection.